DSS Student Information

DSS Student Information

The Role of Disability Services:

Provides and facilitates reasonable accommodations to qualified students with documented disabilities.

Assists The College with compliance with federal and state regulations as mandated in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Facilitates the development of self-advocacy skills.

Maintains and protects records and confidentiality relating to disability provision and compliance

Documentation Guidelines:

Requesting Services:

New students who need services need to contact Disability Services and schedule a meeting with a staff member.

New students need to submit documentation and after review, meet with disability staff to request academic accommodations at least three weeks prior to the close of regular registration deadlines.

Requests for sign language interpreters should be made before normal registration deadlines to allow appropriate time to process the request. Time must be allowed for review of documentation as well as adequate time to get accommodations in place (six to eight weeks prior to classes beginning).

Request recorded texts at least six weeks before the semester begins.

If the above deadlines are not met, some accommodations may be delayed as long as a semester.

Rights and Responsibilities of Students:

As a registered student with Disability Services, you have the right:

to work with Disability Services staff to determine what reasonable accommodations are appropriate to insure equal access to educational activities. These accommodations should not compromise the academic integrity of a course or the academic standards of the College.

to meet with DS staff to better understand how your documented disability may impact your academic opportunities and what reasonable accommodations may be needed through a semester.

to confidentiality. DS will not release information unless requested by you and only if a release form is signed and on file.

As a registered student with Disability Services, you have the responsibility:

to provide documentation of your disability that meets established guidelines, including an assessment that provides an index of your current functional limitations/needs for accommodations (for ADHD/LD, this documentation generally needs to be no more than three years old).

to keep Disability Services informed of academic progress and problems. This includes meeting with DS staff as needed throughout the semester to discuss academic progress.

to develop self-advocacy skills. It is your responsibility to keep DS informed of your progress and needs. You should meet with DS staff at the beginning of the semester when you receive a meeting request or as you have additional needs.

to request approved accommodations in a timely fashion, typically during pre-registration or by the first day of class, and to deliver accommodation notices to faculty within the first three weeks of the semester. We cannot respond to your needs if we do not know about them.

to follow procedures for receiving services and to notify DS if, for a particular course, you wish to cancel an accommodation, especially note-taking, individual tutoring, and recorded texts.

Grievance Procedure:

If a student believes an accommodation is not appropriate, reasonable, or effective, the following procedure should be followed.

Contact Disability Services and arrange a meeting where the complaint can be discussed and in which reasonable, effective accommodations can be explored. (If at any time during the grievance process, the student requires an accommodation to participate in the grievance procedures, the student must communicate that need to the College ADA Coordinator in a timely manner.) If the student is not satisfied with the results of this meeting, he or she can then proceed to option #2.

A written complaint must be received by the ADA Resolution Committee, One College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293 within thirty (30) days from the time the student knew or could reasonably be expected to have known of the action that is the subject of the complaint. A written complaint must include information regarding the action being complained of and the date it occurred, the grounds upon which the appeal is based, and the relief requested. At a minimum, the investigation should include an interview with the complainant, a review of any relevant written materials, and an effort to obtain information from relevant individuals (i.e. interviews or written statements or documents).

The ADA Resolution Committee should complete its review and notify the student of the outcome of the complaint within thirty (30) days of the date it was received. All time frames referred to in this procedure refer to calendar days. Summer recesses and breaks are not included within these time frames.